Photo by Vladimir Makarenko
People catch the Africa bug seriously and for a long time. Why? Who knows. Perhaps it is best to ask someone whose "African route" covers some of the most exotic countries of the Black Continent and spans hundreds of kilometers of adventure. Our guest today is Vladimir MAKARENKO, director of the travel company SkyLine, a man in love with Africa.
The very first question: why do people "go to Africa for a stroll"?
Africa is a different world, a different dimension. Probably only there can a person appreciate their place in life - amid this majestic nature that lives by its own laws, you feel like a grain of sand in the universe, an adjunct to the world landscape.
Is there a "fashion for Africa"?
Oh, yes! In recent years, interest has grown tremendously. Maybe it's because the Western tourist, sated with standard vacations, wants to touch the origins of life? Africa has a paradoxical combination of completely natural wilderness and a high level of service. Africa is an exotic destination for the Western world tired of the hustle and bustle and pollution of urban civilization. And finally, Africa is a world for all seasons. The rainy season is very short. And there isn't the sauna effect in the air that you get, for example, in Southeast Asian countries. And on the ocean coast (by the way, the water temperature in the Indian Ocean never drops below 20 degrees), a light refreshing breeze always blows.
Our company has been organizing tours to Africa since 2000 - almost from the moment it was founded. We send our tourists to Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa - the most beautiful corners of the African world. And we are very pleased that interest in Africa among our compatriots is growing.
You know, sometimes it's a bit scary to dream about Africa - they say this world is dangerous and unpredictable...
As for interethnic conflicts, they are rare and not in the countries where tourists usually go. Moreover, a tourist in Africa is an "animal" protected by law: everyone understands perfectly well that a large share of these countries' prosperity depends on the development of tourism. So you can always count on a warm welcome. Regarding vaccinations, it should be noted that the requirements of our sanitary and epidemiological station are much stricter than those of the World Health Organization. For example, they believe that when going to Kenya or Tanzania, no vaccinations are needed. We still advise getting just one (!) - against yellow fever. It is given in two clinics in Kiev, after which you receive a certificate valid for ten years, during which you can repeatedly visit other African countries. There are also many medicinal and folk remedies for malaria. So rumors about "many" vaccinations are greatly exaggerated. Another important thing is that almost everywhere a visa is issued upon arrival, at the airport.
Today, not only brave extremists go to Africa, but also families with children. Elephants and giraffes, rhinos and antelopes, flocks of pink-winged flamingos, giant tortoises... For kids, these are simply fantastic impressions that last a very long time. Perhaps the only small difficulty is that it is quite hard to find a Russian-speaking guide in Africa. So you have to dig up at least a minimum of English from your memory. Or... learn Swahili! For example, "hello, Africa!" would sound like "jambo, Africa!"
And what do you think of this skeptical belief: "Africa is insanely expensive"?
You know, I can offer you another and more accurate one: "Africa is an adventure for any budget!" The most expensive component of such a trip is, of course, the cost of the flight. You need to "reserve" about $1,000 for that right away. And on the Black Continent itself, you can find both truly royal vacations and quite ascetic ones. By the way, do you know what luxury means in African style? It's everything - bungalow finishes, furniture - made by hand from rare wood species.
Name the brightest pearls in the African necklace.
It is impossible to tell about all the beauties of Africa - they are countless. Of course, what you simply must see are the famed snows of Kilimanjaro, Victoria Falls, the national parks of Tsavo, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro, the apocalyptic world of Amboseli, fantastic Zanzibar... Something absolutely incredible - like the "African Las Vegas" - Sun City, or Cape Town - the most beautiful city of "European" Africa.
In general, a trip to any corner of Africa is unique. What could be better than an afternoon rest in a small lodge in a nature reserve? Or a pre-dawn safari by jeep across the endless expanses of the African savanna? And the fairy-tale white ocean beaches of Mombasa, where you can swim in the pleasant company of a 25-meter tiger shark? Actually, it feeds on plankton, but its size impresses... Or the "lost paradise" of the tiny island-reserve of Bazaruto?
The color, smell, and taste of Africa are mesmerizing. Only there can you try an amazing delicacy: it looks like fish, but tastes like chicken. What, you can't guess? It's crocodile meat. Each country prepares it differently; there are hundreds of recipes. And dried antelope meat? It is sold in packets everywhere as a light snack. African cuisine impresses with its natural flavor - a minimum of seasonings and spices. And the stunningly exquisite bouquet of the best South African wine in the world! Amazing wooden crafts, fairy-tale tables and mirrors, flasks made of dried gourds, mysterious masks of gods and little gods...
Africa is something irrational, lying on the other side of our everyday life. I will never forget how one evening the staff of our small hotel brought out chairs and lined them up - right in the middle of the savanna. And in complete silence, we, ten tourists, amid hectares of deserted expanses, silently watched the most breathtaking "movie" of our lives: the sunset over Kilimanjaro.
BEWARE OF THE "BLACK GODS"!
Each of us has their own Africa. That is what makes it good: it cannot abide pomposity or set canonical descriptions. And all sorts of wonders are to be found in it. Literally at every step.
My husband was going to Africa on journalistic business. "Bring back something as a keepsake," I asked innocently, secretly hoping it would be something I could immediately put on myself. I should have ordered gifts, because he brought a Maasai club of ironwood, a battle shield the size of a coffee table, and a black glossy head of an unknown god.
We hung the shield above the sofa. The cat eyed the club lying about warily for a long time, until finally, out of self-preservation, she quietly rolled it under the sofa. I saw this but kept silent out of female solidarity. These items had no particular artistic value. According to my husband, they were sold in Arusha by a plump, good-natured Maasai woman. She had plenty of such wares. But the head...
In shape it resembled a melon, except black and wooden. Covered in dust, carelessly leaned by an old vendor against the wall, it looked at the world with a distrustful narrow-eyed squint. The chipped, slit-like half-smile also boded no good. It was impossible to find out from the ancient vendor whom the little head depicted. Moreover, he could not settle on a price. Superstitiously pushing away the money with a wrinkled black hand, he kept repeating "Change!" The trouble was that there was nothing to exchange: the old man valued his "unknown little beast" quite highly. In the end, we settled on an old Zenit camera, which my husband gave up with the greatest regret. The inscription "Made in USSR" made an indelible impression on the old man.
At customs, the Maasai officials animatedly whispered when they saw this marvel, but let it through and only grinned mysteriously after us.
And so the black head took up residence in our home. It did us no harm. But I felt uneasy when its squint caught up with me everywhere in the room. I was absolutely certain: this was something special. The cat hissed at it. My husband started watching less TV and moved to the kitchen to drink beer. In the end, without consulting each other, we gave the African guest to my uncle for his anniversary. And the head rode off to Bila Tserkva.
Six months passed, and when we met around a common table, we learned the continuation of the African head. Uncle's wife placed the exotic gift in the living room, fixing it on the wall directly opposite Uncle's place at the dining table. And two months later, Uncle abruptly lost weight. There were no miracles: the unblinking stare of two black slits simply killed his appetite. It is unknown how things would have developed further, but then a housewarming came up at the brother of Uncle's wife. Thus the mysterious black god flew off to Moscow. And there, after tormenting the unhappy family for a couple more months, it was given "for the occasion" to high Moscow officials.
What happened next smacks of mysticism. One day, a high-ranking official was receiving a commercial foreign delegation in his office. Where these businessmen were from, history is silent. But it is known for certain that among them was one whose skin color and eye shape astonishingly resembled the African idol. And, disregarding all rules of business etiquette, he stared mesmerized at the black head solemnly adorning the rich office. The high-ranking official was no fool - with a broad Caucasian gesture, he presented the object of admiration to the dark-faced partner.
The black god returned home. Perhaps it is gathering dust again somewhere in the marketplace. Maybe we will meet again, and I will understand what its mysterious smile meant. By the way, as it turned out, it was the god of luck and male strength. And the fact that we feared it... Well, one smart person once said: "If someone next to you is stepping out of step, perhaps they are simply hearing a different drum." That applies to gods and people alike. And - to Africa.